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Dublin ambulance faces chop in cash row

Dispute puts emergency services in Swords at risk

Emergency ambulance services in some parts of Dublin could be withdrawn in a row over funding between the city manager and the Health Service Executive (HSE).

John Tierney, the Dublin city manager, ambulance service, which responds to around 5,000 high priority calls a year.

The service was introduced in 2007 to cater for the 40,000 people who live in the vicinity.

The HSE says it has never paid the city council for the ambulance because it was introduced without its approval. "When the fire brigade service in Swords went full-time, Dublin city council took the decision to put an ambulance into the centre," it said. "This was not subject to any agreement with the HSE."

The Swords ambulance is the only new fire brigade ambulance to be introduced in Dublin in the past 20 years, despite an almost doubling of emergency calls over that period. There are now 12 fire